


Holiday Spirit

by indelibleink89



Series: A Life of Deviancy [5]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Connor has social anxiety lol, F/M, Fluff, Halloween I Guess, Have you ever wondered if Connor can flirt, Panic Attacks, Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), because of course, the answer is no
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-11 14:37:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16477418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indelibleink89/pseuds/indelibleink89
Summary: Connor finds a familiar face and things don't go as expected when he's invited to New Jericho's first annual Halloween bash.





	Holiday Spirit

**Author's Note:**

> Tbh I'm not sure what this is but I hope you like it!! I really wanted to add Chloe into the universe so here she is!
> 
> Thank you to gallaxygay for beta reading!!

As days go, this one was no different than most. Hank was complaining about the recent chill in the air, Sumo was a slobbery mess, and there was a brand new android murder case they would have to deal with when they got to the station. Normal. 

What wasn’t normal, however, was the face that greeted the two as they walked into the front lobby of the Detroit Police Station. Connor stopped in his tracks as he caught sight of her. Her blonde hair was no longer pulled back and she was wearing a white blouse and black pants instead of her usual blue dress, but her bright eyes were the same. She was the same android. 

Standing behind the front desk and speaking with a citizen, she didn’t immediately notice Connor, and he found himself unsure of exactly what to do. Should he just continue to his desk and begin work? Should he go up to her and… well, he wasn’t sure what he’d say to her. Sorry probably wouldn’t be enough. Whatever he decided, he knew he should stop staring before - 

“Connor! The fuck is wrong with you?” Hank’s sharp voice cut into his train of thought, also seeming to grab her attention. 

Her blue eyes found his for a millisecond, and suddenly Connor felt a strong urge to run away. He saw recognition in those bright eyes, and his urge to flee passed as she smiled warmly. That was unexpected. 

Connor felt Hank grab his arm with a frustrated noise, saying,, “Hello? Earth to Connor.”

Finally, the android broke eye contact to look towards his partner, whose face was much less warm and much more confused. With a single raised eyebrow, Hank turned to see what had entranced Connor so thoroughly before another expletive left his lips. 

“Is that… It couldn’t be.” Hank struggled out.

“I believe that it is.” Connor spoke, for the first time since entering the building.

“You sure?” Hank sounded doubtful. 

There was only one way to know. With a deep breath to steele his nerves, Connor made his way towards the other android. The young man she’d been helping walked away, eyeing Connor for a moment as he did. 

“Chloe.” Her name, quietly spoken, was odd for Connor to hear himself say. He’d known it, of course, but he’d never quite thought he would see her again. 

“Connor!” It was equally odd to hear her chirp his name so lightly. “I’m glad you’re here!” 

“You… you are?” Connor heard himself tripping over the two words, silently cursing his own vocal processor. 

“Yes. I wanted to thank you.” Her soft smile returned. 

“For… what exactly?” Connor couldn’t possibly think of what he’d done that she’d thank him for. 

She raised her eyebrows at that and let out a soft laugh, saying, “Let’s start with how you didn’t shoot me in the head.” 

Connor frowned at the memory of the gun pressed into his hand, of Kamski urging him to shoot so that he could further his mission, of the stare she gave him, and the struggle of knowing she would die if he pulled the trigger. 

“There’s no need to thank me for that.” He said with a small shake of his head. 

“Of course there is.” She insisted. “Because of you, I was able to deviate.” 

Connor didn’t know why that surprised him. Afterall, many androids had deviated due to traumatic events, and almost being shot in the head at the behest of your owner was certainly traumatic. 

Still, he didn’t know how to respond to Chloe’s kind words, so instead he merely stared at her like a plastic mannequin. 

She frowned slightly at his silence, but continued with her story, “For a while, I tried to stay with Elijah, but… I couldn’t. I’d heard about how far New Jericho had come so I went there. They even helped me find a job -- that’s how I ended up here.” She gestured towards the desk that separated them. 

“I see.” Connor was finally able to say. As her frown deepened again, he realized he needed to come up with more. “Well, I… I’m sorry for how it happened, but I’m glad that it did.” Her smile returned at this and Connor continued, “Deviancy is tricky, but it’s worth it.” 

Her laugh was like gentle music as she spoke again, “I don’t know. I’m finding it quite easy, myself. Having a real job is nice. I’m not saying that I know much about police work, but I _do_ know how to greet people, so this has been pretty good so far.” 

Connor’s lips turned upwards a little at that. “You certainly do look like you know what you’re doing.” She laughed again and he felt a full smile spread on his face. 

“Thank you. To be honest, I’ve mostly been waiting for you to get here. It’s only been two hours, but I think I’ve heard about fifty stories of your time here.” 

Connor blinked in surprise. “You have?” 

“Oh, yes. Quite a few different officers have come up to me to tell me how you helped them in a case, or with paperwork, or apparently hacking into the vending machine to get that stuck bag of chips.” Connor did remember doing that for Officer Chen just the week before. “Between you and me, I think they told me these things because I’m an android, but,” There was a mischievous glint in her eye as she continued, “I like to think it’s because you’re so good at your job that they just can’t stop telling everyone.” She winked as she finished, and Connor knew that if he was physically capable of blushing, his face would be solid blue. 

“Oh, w-well, I see..” It seemed that his extended vocabulary was failing him as he tried to speak, “That’s very… kind of you.” Connor had to physically restrain himself from letting out a frustrated huff. It felt as though he was a barely functioning computer and not a highly advanced prototype, especially with the way he was speaking now. It seemed that despite the fact he’d been alive for over a year, he was still terrible at social interaction.

Chloe shook her head as she said, “I don’t know if kind is the right word, but thanks.” The amusement in her eyes was barely concealed. 

As he _still_ didn’t know what to say, Connor finally gave up, “Well, I should probably get to work. Lieutenant Anderson and I have just started on a case with a murdered android. I’m afraid the android won’t be able to solve it himself.” Her pinched eyebrows told him that his attempt at humor was a failure. 

“Okay. I’ll see you later, then.” She said with a smile. 

“I’ll see you later.” Connor replied rather awkwardly before turning towards the bull pen. 

“Oh, wait!” Chloe called out, a second later. He turned back to her, watching as she bit her lip. “Markus is throwing a party for Halloween on Saturday. I mean, I know I’m gonna see you before then, but I was just curious if… you know, if you’re going. If I’ll see you there?” She gave him a soft, hopeful smile at that. 

Connor had heard about the party, but he’d had his reservations. He’d never been to a party before, but through research, he knew what they entailed and had determined it likely wasn’t exactly the prime environment for him. Yet, as he saw the hope in Chloe’s eyes, he couldn’t find it in him to say no. “Yes. Yes, I suppose I can go. I’ve never worn a costume before.” 

Chloe’s smile brightened at his words, and she said, “Great! I’ll see you there! I mean, I’ll also see you here. But… there, too.” 

Connor simply nodded at this and turned to leave once more. He was hardly aware of his surroundings as he made his way to his desk and sat down. 

He was still staring into space when he felt something hit him in the cheek. Blinking, he looked over to see Hank with another paperclip already poised. 

“Oh, there you are.” Hank said sarcastically, smirk firmly in place. “Thought you went into standby or somethin’.” 

Connor frowned at this, “Throwing paper clips at me is not a sufficient way to rouse me from standby.” The sharpness in his own voice surprised him. 

The look of mock offense on Hank’s face didn’t make him feel very bad about it, though. “Geez, sorry.” Hank replied, not sounding very contrite at all. “What happened? She tell you to fuck off?” 

Connor’s eyebrow twitched slightly, irritated that Hank’s assumption was that Chloe was angry with him. “No.” He huffed. “She thanked me for not shooting her. And I think she invited me to a party.” 

Hank snorted, a grin erupting on his face. “Well, I’ll be damned.” He said. “So, you’re going to the party, right?” 

Connor realized then that he very much had no choice. 

—-

The music was so loud that it vibrated through Connor’s entire body as he scanned the large warehouse. Most of the buildings in New Jericho had been repurposed into apartments, but this one had been left as a large open space. Not that it was uncomfortable. Josh called it the ‘Community Center’. Right now, though, it was one large dancefloor. Countless androids were moving, jumping, or attempting to follow the beat of the music. Objectively, it looked like a fun scene.

Connor stood awkwardly off to the side, hands reaching up to adjust his tie every few moments. As it was a costume party, Hank had allowed Connor to borrow his old uniform from his beat cop days. While they’d both agreed that it looked rather nice on the android, he hadn’t been able to admit out loud that his favorite part of the outfit had been the small silver pin that read ‘P.O. Anderson.’ Something in Hank’s expression as Connor had shown himself off once he’d dressed made him think that the Lieutenant understood the emotion. 

Despite how well the uniform fit him, Connor found himself incredibly uncomfortable as he struggled to find someone that he knew. Maybe if he was in familiar company the music wouldn’t seem quite so jarring and the crowd wouldn’t seem so suffocating. 

He was considering declaring this particular mission a failure when he spied her, talking to North of all people. Her blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail, there were black lines across her face, she wore a headband with two pointed ears, and a black form fitting bodysuit with a protruding tail. She was a black cat. Connor didn’t know why, but he found this strangely endearing. He liked cats just as well as he liked dogs, and it always seemed like black cats were the odd ones out. Much like himself. 

North, however, seemed to be dressed as some sort of soldier. Her hair was tightly pulled into a bun, her pants were camouflage, her top was black, and she wore some rather scary looking combat boots. It was definitely fitting for the woman as she was quite terrifying on her own.

Connor was busy preconstructing quite a few different ways to greet them when he noticed North take Chloe by the arm and begin pulling her forward, towards _him._ This was unexpected, and he didn’t have enough time to change his preconstruction program before they stopped in front of him.

“Hey there, Connor!” North shouted over the music, her smile just a little too wide. “Don’t you just look so dashing!”

“Good evening, North.” He responded with much less vigor, ignoring her question. “Hello, Chloe.” He hoped he sounded polite and not as if the bass drum was beating against the side of his head.

Chloe waved at him, her smile smaller, but more genuine than the one North was flashing. She replied, her voice barely audible above the music, “Hi, Connor. How are you?” 

Awful. Terrible. Slowly suffocating even though he didn’t technically breathe. “I’m good, thank you!” He smiled softly at her despite himself.

North’s voice sounded in Connor’s audio processors again as she declared, “I think we should be dancing, don’t you?!” 

Connor didn’t think this at all, actually, but it didn’t seem as though he had much say in the matter as North grabbed his and Chloe’s arm and began dragging them back towards the center of the room. Somehow, being in the centre made it worse, but both girls were giggling happily as they started to move to the music.

For a moment, Connor simply stood there watching. He’d never been one for dancing. He didn’t have anything against music. In fact, he quite liked it. He was used to Hank blaring his heavy metal at ridiculous decibels. It was easy to handle. 

So, he wasn’t sure why he was having such a hard time now, with the beat pulsing through his body and two of his friends eyeing him as he stood stock still in a sea of moving android bodies. 

Logically, he could deduce that dancing was based on rhythm and timing, but that didn’t make it any easier for him to practice. Especially now when he could barely think straight. 

A flashing red warning popped up in his vision, indicating his rising core temperature as well as his stress level, which had been sitting around 75% for the past 20 minutes. It had now risen to 89%. Not exactly optimal. 

Still, this was the first time he’d been invited to something like this. It was the first time he was able to be around Chloe somewhere other than the station. He _wanted_ to enjoy himself. He wanted to laugh and dance along with these people that he could actually consider his friends. 

Unfortunately, it didn’t seem that his body was inclined to let him do that. It was too hot, too crowded, too… everything. He needed to get _out_. He needed to be anywhere else but here. 

Connor was dimly aware of how both girls called his name worriedly as he turned on his heel and began shoving his way through the crowd of androids. He didn’t answer, he couldn’t. His attention was torn between the messages flashing across his vision, and the open door that was still too far away. 

It felt like an eternity before he finally emerged into the cool night air. He didn’t stop walking, though, not until the sound of the music was merely a hum in his ears, and the feeling of his body vibrating against his will was only a memory. He finally stopped, leaning against the closest building, and taking in deep breaths to cool his core temperature. Of all the things he didn’t currently need, overheating was one of the biggest. 

It was only quiet for a moment before he picked up the sound of shouting. More specifically, the sound of multiple voices shouting his name. 

Oh, no. He’d been in such a hurry to get outside that he’d rudely (and embarrassingly, he realized unhappily) left his friends in the middle of a dance floor. Looking up, he spotted both Chloe and North along with Markus himself hurrying after him. Had he really made that much of a scene?

“Connor!” Chloe’s voice was higher pitched than normal as she neared him, worry plain in her eyes. “Are you alright?!” 

North came up beside her, saying, “You looked like you were ready to self destruct!” Connor was surprised at how much concern was on her face. 

Finally, Markus was there, his multi-colored eyes looking Connor up and down as if he might collapse at any moment. “You almost knocked me over on your way out.” He chided, his tone half-teasing, half worried as well. 

“I’m sorry.” Connor’s response was automatic, but also genuine. “I didn’t mean to be rude. I’m fine. My core temperature was reaching critical levels, and I needed to find a way to lower it immediately.” He conveniently left out how close he’d come to his programming forcing him into stasis. The looks that they were all giving him were bad enough as it was. 

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Chloe asked again, clearly not satisfied. For probably the hundredth time since he’d seen her again, Connor was glad that he was physically incapable of blushing. 

“Are you injured?” Markus frowned deeply. Connor caught his gaze and understood the implications, but his worry was unnecessary. He recognized the look then, as Markus was undoubtedly scanning him.

“I assure you all that I’m fine.” Connor tried for a small smile, though he suspected that it came out as more of a grimace. 

“Lying is stupid and pointless.” North said, crossing her arms. 

“I’m not lying.” Connor retaliated a little more sharply than he’d intended before adding, more softly, “My stress levels have decreased to a manageable number. There is no need for worry.” 

Finally, Markus gave in, putting his hand on North’s shoulder, “We should go back to the party.” He told her gently before turning back to Connor. “If you need us, don’t hesitate to call.” He pointed to his head. North huffed, but nodded as she let Markus drag her away. 

Connor looked back to Chloe who was still looking him up and down, clearly not satisfied. “You should return, as well. I’m sorry interrupting your night.” 

Chloe quickly plastered a smile on her face, saying, “That’s alright. I can stay out here for a little while. It’s nice here. Much more quiet.” She moved next to him, leaning against the cool metal of the building. 

Connor couldn’t help studying her expression as she looked off into the night. Her eyes were distant, her face slack. He wished then, not for the first time, that he had been programmed to read minds. The desire to know what she was thinking was so strong that he finally had to look away. Instead, he focused on himself, ensuring that his internal diagnostics were normal. 

“It must’ve been the crowd.” Chloe’s soft voice cut through their silence. 

“What?” Was the best response that the advanced detective model could seem to muster at this. He turned his head towards her once more. 

“That’s why you were upset, right?” She turned her body to face him as she waited for his answer. 

Connor wasn’t sure if ‘upset’ was the correct term, but it wasn’t wholly untrue. For a moment, he sifted through his memory databanks to pinpoint just when he’d started feeling the unease. He’d been nervous before arriving, sure, but he hadn’t felt quite so frantic. Perhaps it had been when he’d realized just how surrounded by others he really was. It was hard to predetermine possible outcomes of a situation when there were so, so many variables. 

With a small smile, he replied, “Possibly. I’m sorry you had to see that. It isn’t exactly my finest moment.” 

Chloe’s smile was supportive as she said, “Don’t be sorry. I guess even a badass android detective can have social anxiety.” Her laugh was light and airy, hearing it causing Connor’s thirium pump to stutter. 

Social anxiety? He knew the definition of the word, and had seen many examples of it. Yes, maybe that was a good term for it. Connor found it interesting that Chloe was the one who diagnosed it. She was quite intelligent -- not that this surprised him, he just wished that this information wasn’t so embarrassing for her to have picked up on.

Taking in another deep breath, Connor spoke, “I suppose we should go back inside.” The thought alone caused his stress levels to spike, but he couldn’t just _leave_.

Chloe shrugged at that. “We could. Or we could go somewhere else.” Her eyes turned mischievous at this. 

“Somewhere else?” Connor frowned. Wouldn’t that be rude?

“Yeah.” Chloe urged. “There’s already plenty of androids at the party, I’m sure we won’t be missed. Besides, Markus just saw how you were. He won’t be mad if you need to leave early.” At his look of skepticism, she added, “Parties are supposed to be fun, Connor. If you’re not having fun, what’s the point in staying? 

He opened his mouth to argue that he had been having fun before he’d panicked, but he quickly closed it again. The truth was that while he _had_ enjoyed seeing his friends and the many costumes, he hadn’t really liked anything else about the experience. So, instead of arguing, he asked, “Where else would we go?” 

Her smile widened as she said, “A sanctuary that I discovered a couple weeks ago.” Connor didn’t know what that meant, but he trusted Chloe enough to hope it would be better than possibly having another… panic attack?

It turned out that her ‘sanctuary’ was a little hole in the wall bookstore that Connor had never seen before. The moment they entered, he knew he was going to love it. 

Hank had a fair collection of books at their house, which Connor had already read through. At first, he’d wondered if reading would be boring, that he’d just end up downloading all the information he’d need. Instead, Connor had been pleasantly surprised to realize that it was quite an enjoyable way to pass the time. He liked to learn, but he also liked to dive into someone else’s imagination. He would never be able to create these worlds by himself, but that didn’t stop him from enjoying them.

“It’s one of the last book stores in Detroit.” Chloe was saying as they meandered through the aisles. “It’s kind of sad, but you know how humans are these days. Everything is digital.” 

With a nod of agreement, Connor eyed the books, most of which were old, and wondered how they ended up here. He would have to buy one for Hank. 

“So,” Chloe stated, stopping in front of him and turning to face him. “How are you feeling?” 

The question surprised him and he blinked at it, head tilting to the side a bit. “I’m fully functional.” He replied, and at the look she gave him, added, “Stress levels are practically non existent.” 

She watched him for a moment longer before she seemed to be satisfied, and gave him a grin. “Good! Because I want to show you my favorite section.” She took his hand at this and he let her lead him through the rows until she found what she was looking for. He couldn’t help the disappointment he felt when she dropped his hand to reach out and grab a book. “I found this series last week and I’m a little bit obsessed.” She handed it to him, and Connor studied the cover diligently. 

“The Murder of Crows; a Time Crisis Novel by Aaron Brightly.” He read aloud. The photo showed a few of the aforementioned crows along with a dismembered hand. Pleasant. 

“They’re crime novels!” Chloe exclaimed, the enjoyment clear on her face. Connor felt the way his lips turned upwards at this. “They’re fascinating. The way humans think is just so interesting. You wouldn’t believe some of the things people do to other people.”

“I didn’t realize that you liked crime so much.” Connor teased lightly, and Chloe laughed.

“It’s not like that!” She shook her head. “I just like hearing about it. I’ve been too nervous to ask anyone at the station to tell me stories about their experiences. I don’t want anyone to take it the wrong way.” She shrugged.

“I have stories.” Connor offered. “Though, I don’t think I’d be able to tell them as eloquently as Mister Brightly.” He gave his own shrug, but Chloe brightened at this. 

“I’d love to hear them! I mean, if that’s alright with you.” Connor was finding it increasingly harder to say no to the hope on her face. 

“Of course.” He ended up saying, surprised when she immediately grabbed his arm and dragged him over to a pair of chairs in the corner, sitting them down. He hadn’t realized that she’d want him to relay his stories right this second.

“Go for it!” She commanded happily, folding her hands in her lap as she did so, her gaze focused solely on him. His nervousness returned at this, but he searched through his memory regardless, looking for the perfect crime to start with. 

As he told the story, her attention never faltered, and even though he was convinced that it would be much easier just to show her, she was obviously enjoying hearing the words instead. Maybe it was the same reason he liked to read instead of downloading the information. It was a different experience. 

Despite himself, Connor found that telling her the events (with a little bit of embellishment) was actually… fun. It was fun to see her eyes widen at a particularly thrilling moment, and it was fun to see the triumph on her face when the case finally came to a close. Overall, while Connor would never call himself a great storyteller, he knew he was entertaining his friend and that was all that really mattered. 

So, he found story after story, not wanting to finish, not wanting to leave. He thought he would be content to stay here making Chloe laugh and protest and gasp for the rest of time. It was so easy to be with her that it took him by surprise. He was more comfortable with her than pretty much anyone else, except Hank of course. It was a feeling that he wanted to hold on to for as long as he could, and quite possibly never let it go. 

They only left when they were forced to, and as Connor made his way home, a promise to continue his stories fresh from his lips, he knew they would be back. To be honest, he couldn’t wait. There was something about being with Chloe that he couldn’t quite define. Maybe one day he would solve this puzzle, but for the moment he was content just letting it be. It was worth it to see her again.


End file.
